Referencing constant variables within the class like vB_Search_Core::SEARCH_ADVANCED is fine.
There was a similar issue within the normal search.php page where we were initiating the search class, but then going back and referencing methods via vB_Search_Core::...() calls. http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/VBIV-8822
Long story short is as long as vB_Search_Core methods are called from the $search_core object, and not from direct vB_Search_Core calls, it should be fine. It's hard to tell/trace without seeing all the code after the $search_core object init, but that would be the first place I would look.
If it's something that isn't blatantly obvious, I could probably find the underlying cause if I had access to a test site that was exhibiting the issue.
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